Serving as the 38th head coach in New York Rangers history, Mike Sullivan knows better than to disregard those who came before him. However, the new bench boss in the Big Apple is making sure not to stumble over the same stone others did. On that note, Sullivan is shredding a page out of Peter Laviolette’s book.
With Gabriel Perreault set to make his season debut with the Rangers, Sullivan knows the transition to the NHL can be a lot to take for the young talent. However, pressure makes diamonds, and such a gem is just what the franchise in New York City might need in crucial times.
Perreault made his NHL debut last season, when Peter Laviolette and the Rangers’ brass called him up for the final games of the campaign. All hope had been lost in the Big Apple, and the Broadway Blueshirts turned to their most exciting prospect from the pool of up-and-coming talents, hoping to give fans a reason to attend the otherwise meaningless games. However, Laviolette and his staff assigned Perreault to a bottom-six role, virtually eliminating any real chance for him to showcase his abilities in the NHL. Now, Sullivan is taking a completely opposite approach.
“Our intention is to try to set [Perreault] up for success so he can play with strengths,” Sullivan told media after Monday’s morning skate per Newsday Sports’ Colin Stephenson. “So in other words, I don’t know that it makes a whole lot of sense to call a player up like that and put him on in the bottom six role.”
Peter Laviolette speaks with the media at Madison Square Garden
No worries
As Perreault makes his first NHL appearance of the season—sixth of his career—the 20-year-old will be searching for his first career point. Through five games with the Rangers last season, the former 23rd overall pick in 2023 was held scoreless.
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Being surrounded by the best players in the lineup, he hopes for better luck this time around. Moreover, Perreault is fully healthy, as he admitted his recent missed games in the AHL are nothing fans or the team should be stressing about.
“It was nothing bad. It was just a precautionary thing, and I’m good to go,” Perreault told media in New York, as reported by The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano.
Gabe Perreault at Madison Square Garden on April 02, 2025 in New York City.
Less is more
The Rangers are anxious to snap the losing streak at home. Being winless after seven games at Madison Square Garden, it’s easy to see why New York is playing with such urgency in front of its fans. In line with J.T. Miller’s honest confession exposing the team’s struggles, Sullivan believes such mindset is not doing the team any favors.
“I think our guys want to win at home so badly that sometimes they’re trying too hard. And that can cloud judgment, decision-making. It has a ripple effect on players, and that’s the human element of sports,” Sullivan admitted. “It may appear as though, ‘Hey, they’re not trying hard.’ When my experience has been with players, it’s just the opposite. But it’s not instinctive, because they’re trying to force things. They’re pressing, and that’s our challenge, is to help each other through that process.”
Hope, at last
With Perreault joining the mix, the Rangers may be fueled by the young talent’s energy. The rookie winger can bring much-needed winds of change to the locker room in hopes of turning the NHL season around. Otherwise, the Blueshirts seem destined for the basement. Now, a bright beacon of hope shines over New York City’s skyline—and it comes in the form of a 20-year-old rookie born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, 411 miles away from the Big Apple.